Any Deaf, Hard of hearing Nurses?

Nurses Disabilities

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Hello, I've been a member for a while and am delighted to finally see a forum for nurses with limitations. I am profoundly deaf and getting deafer everyday. Although I do wear 2 BTE's, lip read, know asl, I do speak and I work in the operating room. Any other deaf nurses out there? I'd love to chat with you sometime.

Marvie:welcome:

Hi

i am single sided deafness due to sudden sensorineural hearing loss. After ten years of this I was able to get approved for a BAHA. If your hearing is low on one side but good on the other I highly recommend it.

I am listed as disabled by my school but no one ever knows I have a hearing problem since I got the baha. I had to have an implant behind my ear and the BAHA snaps on. One day in class we were talking about hearing impairment and I showed the people at the table my implant and they said it was like the matrix which it is!

The only problem I have is that I still can't locate sound but to me that is a minor thing. I just use my eyes!

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Marvie,

I know this message is old, but I am a HOH radiography student and am having a hard time in the OR. would you like to chat?

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Specializes in Education, IV Therapy, Travel Medicine.

Along the same lines, I have a Nurse Refresher student who has olfactory deficit and cannot smell. We were discussing Physical Assessment and documentation that could be used such as no order detected by this nurse and having another assess this for situations such as: possible diabetic ketoacidosis a wound,etc. Any other suggestions?

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Specializes in OR.

KatrinaAnne- Yes I would love a chance to chat with you.

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Hi. I just came across this post and would love to chat with you sometime.

I am a pre-nursing student interested in working in the OR. I am also hard of hearing due to a non-heriditary birth defect. I'm profoundly deaf in my left ear - there is no nerve function whatsoever. In my right ear, I have normal hearing up to the higher frequencies, then it drops off dramatically. So while I can hear speech, it's not clear. While I've never been taught how to lip read, I have to see someone's face to "hear" what they're saying.

So my biggest question and concern is how do you work around that in the OR where everyone wears a mask covering their mouth?

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Hi I'm Abby just graduated last May 2011 as a RN. I now work in the med-surgical floor. I have sensorineural hearing loss and wear bilateral hearing aids which is phonark. I lost my hearing when I was 4 yrs old and worn hearing aids every since.

My biggest challenge is facing medical staff with my disibilites. I use Captel to talk w/doctors but the downfall is the delay and they dont type out the correct medical terms or drugs. So I'm writing to figure out how to be a better nurse and not feel ashamed of my deafness and to overcome communication barrier? It feel lonely because you can't find anyone who can understand where your coming from or relate to.

I just wanted keep in touch with all deaf nurses so we can help each other feel like were not alone. My goal is to break the cycle of discrimination against deaf nurses or disbilities.

So let's Chat!:yeah::yeah:

DeafAbby, RN

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I am completely deaf in my right ear. It was discovered at age 5 and could have been present since birth or developed from a unilateral case of the mumps that was asymptomatic.

In grade school and high school everyone knew about my lack of hearing. Close friends knew what kind of accommodations they needed to make for me and understood when I asked to sit in a specific chair etc. Acquaintances not so much. When you develop unilateral deafness at such an early age, your neuro-pathways create "hearing" differently for you than people with normal hearing do. I have what I call a Rolodex of words or consonants that I run thru when I'm pretty sure I haven't heard a word or part of a word correctly because what the person "said" doesn't make sense to me. This has resulted in some pretty funny incidences throughout my life. I often have to remind people that I am deaf in one ear and that I need to make a few changes in whatever setting I am in.

Hearing aides drive me crazy because they don't help me localize where sound comes from, they just make the world louder. Since my brain is not built for "normal" levels of loudness, it is actually anxiety producing.

Having said all that, I have been a nurse since 1981. I have to make sure my stethoscope is set so I am hearing sounds in my left (good) ear, but have never had any trouble hearing via normal stethoscope. They do make stethoscopes specific to hearing loss to magnify the sound equal to no hearing loss. Since this is a true disability, you might want to check with the ADA and see if your institution will purchase one for you.

I have never tried to hide my hearing loss. If I go to a place where people don't know me and it's important they know I have a hearing deficit I make sure they know. Just a hey BTW I am deaf in my right ear. My left one works fine. So if you find that I am not responding to you it's ok to touch me lightly to get my attention. I may need to have you move into my visual field or ask folks to take that initiative if they remember I'm deaf.

I tell all my patients that I am HOH, have a deaf ear and if they feel I have not heard them to let me know. Sometimes patients think of questions as you are leaving with your back turned and think you are lazy, snotty or unkind because you didn't respond. So I ALWAYS tell my patients to call the nursing station and say, I don't think my nurse heard me, please let her know I still need her.

To me it's remind, remind, remind. After a long time, one day I got sassy when I was teaching and said to my students, pointing to my left ear....compliments go in this ear and pointing to my right ear, complaints go here.

It isn't a tragedy, it's just something you need to work around.

I'm not an employer but I am guessing having a nurse with partial deafness is a plus for them on the hiring disabled people column.

Someone above said embrace it. When I started doing that, I got along much better professionally.

Hilary

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Hello all and Marvie,

I am HOH and have worn hearing aids since I was 3 years old. I am about 66% deaf in my right ear and about 60% deaf in my left. I used sign language growing up (in a deaf and HOH school) and have lost a lot of it since I have no reason to use it anymore since everyone around me is hearing. I am a nursing student and have purchased a special stethescope to sync with my BTE hearing aids. I also lip read a lot and find it difficult when people don't face me.

It's been a challenge but it's definitely something I can overcome. It hasn't stopped me from doing anything I've wanted to do. Good luck to you all and it's good to know I'm not alone!

Anna

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Hi! My name is Rebecca. I have been deaf in my left ear since I was 3, but until the past 2 years have had next to normal hearing in my right ear. I've been a nurse since 2007 and have not had an issue until the last few years. Now I have been having fluctuating hearing loss in my right ear and I've been on "sabbatical" since 2010. I have since then acquired the cross hearing aids, and I have been slowly learning sign. I don't always have problems hearing, some days are really good. On my really bad days my hearing aids don't always seem to help the greatest. I'm now trying to look for a job, but I'm nervous and don't know how to approach interviews regarding this. Ive always done oncology and am now looking for more close environments and ones that would limit emergency situations. Does anyone have any advice for me? I need to get back to work, and I can't imagine doing anything other than nursing. People can't not hire just because I have an issue, can they? Do I disclose this during an interview? What tools can I get to help me work? I haven't ever requested disability mainly because I'm still young (26) and I can work. I just can't hear well all the time. Any advice would be helpful! Thank you! Rebecca.

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This is the #1 reason why I love this website! There's nothing this website does not have! I too am hoh & was always wondering if I can be successful as a nurse. I have my doubts but because of you my fellow deafies give me hope that despite my disability I CAN do ANYTHING I put my mind to!

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Specializes in None (as yet).
This is the #1 reason why I love this website! There's nothing this website does not have! I too am hoh & was always wondering if I can be successful as a nurse. I have my doubts but because of you my fellow deafies give me hope that despite my disability I CAN do ANYTHING I put my mind to!

Hey...just want to say you can do whatever you but your mind to...I have a profound sensorineural deafness in both ear...long story short I have completed nursing school.took my RN board on Thursday. I get my results tomorrow... My advice it won't be easy...but if you really want this like I did you will do it...good luck...

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Specializes in None (as yet).
Hi! My name is Rebecca. I have been deaf in my left ear since I was 3, but until the past 2 years have had next to normal hearing in my right ear. I've been a nurse since 2007 and have not had an issue until the last few years. Now I have been having fluctuating hearing loss in my right ear and I've been on "sabbatical" since 2010. I have since then acquired the cross hearing aids, and I have been slowly learning sign. I don't always have problems hearing, some days are really good. On my really bad days my hearing aids don't always seem to help the greatest. I'm now trying to look for a job, but I'm nervous and don't know how to approach interviews regarding this. Ive always done oncology and am now looking for more close environments and ones that would limit emergency situations. Does anyone have any advice for me? I need to get back to work, and I can't imagine doing anything other than nursing. People can't not hire just because I have an issue, can they? Do I disclose this during an interview? What tools can I get to help me work? I haven't ever requested disability mainly because I'm still young (26) and I can work. I just can't hear well all the time. Any advice would be helpful! Thank you! Rebecca.

I don't know the answer to your question but I know I may find my self in your shoe very soon having just completed nursing school and taking my board...I'm sure my level of deafness is worse than yours but all we can do is stay optimistic. I'm 35...keep the faith Rebecca

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